The instant invention relates to eyewear, and more particularly to a protective eyewear assembly which is adapted to include optically corrective lenses.
While a variety of different types of protective eyewear have been heretofore available, they have generally not been adapted for use in combination with corrective lenses. Hence, persons who normally wear corrective eyeglasses have frequently been somewhat handicapped when it has become necessary for them to wear protective eyewear. In this regard, since most corrective eyeglasses do not provide sufficient protection to be classified as protective eyewear, conventional protective eyeglasses have generally been considered unsatisfactory for many hazardous applications. Accordingly, there is a recognized need for an effective assembly which incorporates corrective lenses into protective eyewear.
Previously available eyeglass assemblies and the like which represent the closest prior art to the subject invention of which the applicant is aware are disclosed in the Hagen U.S. Pat. No. 2,187,542; Rabben U.S. Pat. No. 2,628, 530; Taylor U.S. Pat. No. 2,770,807; Rodenhouse U.S. Pat. No. 2,905,172; Bitner et al U.S. Pat. No. 2,951,418; Nielson U.S. Pat. No. 3,004,535; Chan U.S. Pat. No. 3,051,957; Roland U.S. Pat. No. 3,146,295; Klinger U.S. Pat. No. 3,182, 658; Shedrow U.S. Pat. No. 3,787,113; Sands U.S. Pat. No. 4,114,198; Krusas et al U.S. Pat. No. 4,711,539; King U.S. Pat. No. 4,930,163; and Wise et al U.S. Pat. No. 3,563,640. However, these references fail to provide an effective protective eyewear assembly which is adapted to be utilized in combination with corrective lenses, and they also fail to suggest the specific features of the mounting assembly of the protective eyewear assembly of the instant invention. Hence, they are believed to be of only general interest with respect thereto.
The protective eyewear assembly of the instant invention comprises a protective lense portion including a lense frame member and a protective lense in the lense frame member, a pair of temple frame members which are pivotally mounted on the lense frame member, a nose pad assembly for supporting the lense frame member on the nose of a wearer, and a mounting assembly for detachably mounting the nose pad assembly on the lense frame member. The eyewear assembly preferably further includes a corrective lense assembly on the nose pad assembly, and the mounting assembly is preferably operative for mounting both the nose pad assembly and the corrective lense assembly on the lense frame member. The mounting assembly includes a clip portion having a downwardly opening vertically elongated slot therein on the lense frame member, and a tongue portion on the nose pad assembly which is releasably receivable in the slot in the clip portion for releasably securing the nose pad assembly on the lense frame member. The mounting assembly further includes means for adjustably securing the tongue portion in a plurality of different vertically adjusted positions relative to the clip portion. The adjustable securing means preferably includes a bump on the tongue portion and a vertical row of adjacent horizontally extending holes in the clip portion which are positioned so that the bump on the tongue portion is releaseably receivable in different holes in the clip portion for securing the relative positions of the tongue portion and the clip portion. The protective lense frame member, preferably includes vertically spaced upper and lower lense frame portions, and the protective lense is preferably received between the upper and lower lense frame portions. Further, the upper and lower lense frame portions are preferably vertically separable slightly for removing and replacing the protective lense. Still further, the clip portion is preferably pivotally attached to the protective lense frame portion adjacent the upper extremity thereof so that it is pivotable rearwardly relative to the lense frame portion for pivoting the nose pad assembly and the corrective lense assembly rearwardly relative thereto. The clip portion is preferably further receivable in engagement with the lower lense frame portion for releasably securing the upper and lower lense frame portions in a predetermined, vertically spaced relation in order to prevent inadvertent removal of the protective lense therefrom. When the clip portion is received in engagement with the lower lense frame portion in this manner, the clip portion is further operative for releasably retaining the clip portion, the nose pad assembly, and the corrective lense assembly in an operative position wherein the corrective lense assembly is substantially aligned with the protective lense. The corrective lense assembly preferably includes a corrective lense frame comprising left and right side portions and a center bridge portion extending between the left and right side portions. In one embodiment, the tongue portion is permanently secured to the center bridge portion so that it extends upwardly therefrom. In a second embodiment, the center bridge portion of the corrective lense frame has a horizontally extending downwardly opening slot formed therein and the tongue portion includes a horizontally extending base portion and a main portion which extends upwardly from the base portion. In this embodiment the base portion is received in the slot in the center bridge portion of the corrective lense frame and the main portion of the tongue portion is received in the clip portion for releasably securing the tongue portion to the clip portion. In a third embodiment, the center bridge portion has a recess formed therein and the tongue portion is received in the recess. Further, in this embodiment the slot in the clip portion has open opposite side ends and the center bridge portion and the tongue portion are received in the slot so that the center bridge portion extends outwardly through the opposite side ends of the clip portion.
It has been found that the protective eyewear assembly of the instant invention can be effectively utilized in combination with a corrective lense assembly, and that it can be readily and easily adjusted to accommodate various wearers. In this regard, the mounting assembly is operative for mounting the nose pad assembly and the corrective lense assembly so that the nose pad assembly and the corrective lense assembly can be readily and easily attached to and detached from the protective lense frame portion. More specifically, the mounting assembly is operative for attaching the corrective lense assembly to the lense frame portion so that the corrective lense assembly can be pivoted rearwardly and then moved downwardly to detach it from the lense frame portion. Further, the clip portion is operative for releasably securing the top and bottom portions of the lense frame portion so that they can be separated for replacing the protective lense.
Accordingly, it is a primary object of the instant invention to provide a protective eyewear assembly which is adapted to include corrective lenses.
Another object of the instant invention is to provide a protective eyewear assembly comprising a corrective lense assembly which can be readily assembled with and disassembled from the remaining components of the assembly.
An even still further object of the instant invention is to provide an effective eyewear assembly comprising a mounting assembly which includes a clip portion and a tongue portion for releasably securing a corrective lense assembly to a protective eyeglass assembly.
Other objects, features and advantages of the invention shall become apparent as the description thereof proceeds when considered in connection with the accompanying illustrative drawings.